Anglers fish off the dock before dawn at Cooper Creek Resort in Branson on Aug. 18. / Valerie Mosley/News-Leader

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A mink pauses for a second before hiding in the rocks at Cooper Creek Access on Lake Taneycomo on August 18. / Valerie Mosley/News-Leader

Ozarks Exposure is a weekly feature highlighting the work of News-Leader photojournalists.

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My husband, Jamie, is obsessed with trout fishing. Nearly every weekend he tries his luck. Sometimes I go with him and hunt for photos, but usually Iíd rather sleep in, especially when he leaves before sunrise. Weíre not morning people, and itís usually best for us to avoid each other in the wee hours. He recently invited me along on one of his early excursions and I thought, why not? My chances of getting good photos would be better at sunrise than later in the day, even if I was half asleep.

We drove down to Cooper Creek access on Lake Taneycomo, one of his favorite spots, sleepily squabbling the whole way. The light from Cooper Creek Resortís dock shimmering on the water was about the only thing bright enough to show up in a photo, but it still required a slow shutter speed. I steadied my camera on the railing of the public access dock and shot several frames. Then a boat created a wake, rocking the dock I was on and rippling the water. I figured my chances of catching that moment were slim with the motion and slow shutter speed, but I tried anyway and was surprised that one frame actually worked. As the sun came up, the wildlife emerged and I continued photographing while Jamie reeled in one fish after another. I made several pictures I was happy with that morning. I wonít crash his fishing trips every weekend, but Iíll be tagging along more often.